2020 Pax Charbono Luchsinger Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 87.6 points

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  4/20/2022 - SaxaKent Likes this wine: 85 Points

  G: Medium ruby
  N: Light intensity baking spice, plum, cherry
  P: Dry, high acid, medium tannin, low etoh, medium (-) bodied. Medium intensity red plum, cinnamon and red cherry. Medium finish
  O: Very good

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  12/16/2021 - Livello Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Juicy, loads of fruit and also good acidity.

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  7/3/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Super fun wine and great to try only my second Charbono. First was from Folk Machine- also great, but in a more generic style than this, or at least less energetic. I don't know if I'd call this Pax a complex wine, but it's beautifully crafted and effortlessly enjoyable. The only thing slightly out of place for me is the QPR.
  
  If I had tasted this blind I'd almost certainly call one of those juicy carbonic Syrahs that are becoming more popular. Also feels very similar to a good Beaujolais, although the fruit profile is too dark for that. A good dose of juicy blueberry (literally, almost like blueberry juice) and maybe some tart, almost-ripe plum on both nose and palate. Also a very high-pitched stemmy tone, which lends a beautiful bright earthy quality, even if it's not working in total harmony with the fruit. Pretty much just the juicy blue fruit and stems in the end, but very pretty! Previous two commenters mention concord grape- I get some of the natural blueberry sweetness, a touch of that candied tone which I assume is from the carbonic process, but for me the stemmy notes bring it back to something more serious. A great pop of fresh acidity and a frankly surprising tannic presence- not overbearing, but strangely chalky sometimes. I know it's young, and I guess it could age in theory (it has the fruit, acid, and tannin), but not sure if that's the intention? Wine like this always seems meant to be guzzled right away, especially when it's a clear glass bottle, rather than the protective dark glass.
  
  If this was $20 I'd definitely rate it higher- can think of a number of wines with /very/ similar profiles for ~$20, often slightly better ones, so the usual $30+ price seems a little high for the Glou-Glou style. A few off the top of my head: Stolpman Crunchy Roastie/More Better Syrah, both Faury and Colombo Collines Rhodannienes, plenty of inexpensive Cru Bojo like Dupré, Lardy, and others. This is definitely worth buying to enjoy something new, and to provide a lifeline to an unfamiliar grape made in a delicious style, but taken on its own it lacks just a little depth and/or harmony for the price (especially considering that it's priced the same as Pax's own amazing North Coast syrah!!)

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  5/7/2021 - hodorthehero wrote: 81 Points

  Strong concord grape and black cherry notes create a weird flavor combo, like a candy or a grape flavored cough syrup. A weak spot in the Pax lineup for sure. 81 pts, “good”.

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  4/25/2021 - silton Likes this wine: 87 Points

  Black cherry, concord grape, and roasted fennel, nicely tart and light on its feet for a fruit-forward young wine, but it's hard to shake the impression of Mike and Ike's candy once it has occurred to you. Fun, not too serious wine, I liked it, but not as much as the 2019 Mission I picked up from K&L some time ago.

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View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

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